Something like a dream

It's funny, I was thinking today about Boston, and a little over than a month ago. My life there, like a dream. SO completely different from here. For one, little things like having to be concerned that my shoulders are decently covered when I leave my neighborhood, not being able to have a cheeseburger, or turkey cheese sandwich, etc, to huge things like not having a BLOODY clue what the signs say. It's worse than Greek. Although, I have learned 6 of the 22 letters of the "aleph bet,"and I can order a large latte to go (Cafe afoukh godol bavakasha....lahahat....) and count to ten, and that's about it. Furthermore, this is the first place I've been where I have NO concept of the language, no rudimentary knowledge, nada, nothing. At least my Russian is coming in handy.
Yesterday a few of us went to the beach in Tel Aviv. Fun city, although, I'm tired of fun.
I go to church in the Old City, which was built on top of the ruins of Roman Jerusalem. It's Christ Church Anglican, one of the first Protestant churches in the Middle East. Sometimes it's absolutely SURREAL. I mean, William Wilburforce, THE abolitionist, helped to establish this church. Furthermore, being a believer (Christian is a dirty word here), when the Bible says stuff about Judea, Samaria, Syria, Lebanon, wherever, I mean, I actually know what the Bible is talking about. It's not figurative, but VERY real. I don't quite know how to handle that yet.

Any suggestions... :p

Israel

I have been in Israel for a month now. Let's see, in the last month I have gone been all over Israel, met more diplomats, intellectuals, states people, your general blend of intelligentsia and spiritual leaders than I thought possible. My general impression of the Israel Experience Tour with Eagles' Wings. The most impressionable visit was to Mount Carmel close to Haifa. This is the same Mount Carmel where Elijah called upon G-d and He sent down fire from in I Kings 18. There is a congregation there, Kehilat HaCarmel, the pastor and his wife are from Times Square Church in NYC, and they operate under the principal of the "one new man," so Jews, Gentiles, Arabs, everyone together, as a One New Man in Christ. Kehilat HaCarmel is taking care of some Sudanese Refugees, they are the most precious little children.
Some of them are African Muslims who were being attacked because they are black, by their Arab Muslim brothers, some are Christian Sudanese, who were victims of religious persecution. I think that has become my recent soap box. Recently, four Sudanese refugees were bludgeoned to death by Egyptian soldiers, and no one reported on it, except the Jerusalem Post. Israel is doing a lot to help the refugees, but they just keep coming and coming. It's not a very large country, and no one else seems to be doing much about it.

I really like my new job. I'm working as a staff writer for the International Christian Embassy-Jerusalem. So basically I read Israeli newspapers (the English editions) ones in the morning, pick out the headlines, summarize and rewrite for our daily news service. Monday, I'm being sent out "into the field." It will be the second anniversary of Israeli disengagement from Gaza, and so I'll be listening to press conferences, interviews, etc about the experiences of former residents, the current barrage of Quassam rockets that Hamas still launches from the disengaged Gaza on Israel, daily.

Things don't make sense here, from a natural perspective. If it really was about peace, why do the Palestinians continuously bite the hand that feeds them? They are their own worst enemies. I guess the answer is that it is a spiritual dilemma. More so then ever, I am seeing that all of this is not about territories and boundaries, but it is about which god is greater. Allahu Ahkbar does not mean "God is great." It means "Our god is greater." NB, it's not about converting the Muslims, but it IS about putting a stop to the reign of radical Islamism. When people are forced to convert to Islam for fear of their lives, and no one does anything about it....

On some more uplifting notes...today is Shabbat. It's really amazing how all of Jerusalem just shuts down on Shabbat. I really think this is a great practice. Everyone rests. It's okay to be lazy and sleep in, everyone is doing it. And Shabbat dinners, so good. It's all about families and friends getting together, enjoying life.

The ICEJ is underway with preparations for the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). I will be in the dance company. It says in Zecheriah 14:16 "Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles." True there has not been an Armageddon yet, etc...but it says that the nations will come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast. It just struck me one day that I GET TO DANCE for one of the major holy feasts. I mean, talk about....humbling (that doesn't even come close).

Anyway, if you have made it this far......congratulations. More updates on "Angelina goes into field reporting" soon.